Residents of Laudium, especially those living in Extension 3, are once more calling on Cllr Naeem Patel to urgently request the ANC-led Tshwane Council to close off all access leading to Atteridgeville via the hills from Bengal/Taj and Himalaya Streets and to have only one entry point from Itireleng to the Laudium Extension area, more so for those residents from Itireleng needing to visit the Laudium Hospital.
This, as crime in the area continues, with many residents saying that both Cllr Patel, as part of the ANC Centurion PCO and CPF Chair Shaheen Wahab, are not doing enough to curb crime in the area, despite the pair seemingly engaging a new ‘praise singer’ for themselves. The pair was also accused of not explaining to the community why crime continues in the area, despite the Police, CPF (funded also by the community, via fundraiser dinners, etc) and about 30 Gauteng Wardens, who have been given the use of a BMW and another vehicle, to patrol exclusively the Laudium police precinct, supposedly patrolling the area.
In one of the recent incidents of crime reported to the Laudium Sun for stats purposes, so that residents are warned about incidents of crime in the area, armed thugs attacked a local pastor and two of his family members. The family was held up near their Bengal Street home in Ext 3, this past Saturday morning (Sept 20) at around 11:45am, by two armed thugs, who attacked them at gunpoint, robbing them of three Samsung phones and some cash they had on them.
Paul Kalata, a resident of Bengal Street and a local pastor, told the Laudium Sun, “I was walking just a few minutes away from my house with my sister and another family member. We were on our way to take a taxi when suddenly, two armed thugs approached us and pointed a gun at us. They demanded that we hand over all our belongings, threatening to shoot us if we refused. We were not armed, but had some cash and three Samsung phones with us, which we surrendered. Once they got what they wanted, the thugs fled up the hill towards the Itireleng side. They were not driving but came on foot. Crime in Laudium is really out of control and we are living in constant fear. Each day we have to think a hundred times before leaving our homes, even just to go to the shops. It feels like we are living in a jail. This situation is extremely dangerous and it is clear that the law enforcement is failing us.”
Nadeem Sarwar, a resident of Bengal Street, told the Laudium Sun, “I read about the armed robbery on Bengal Street, on the Laudium Sun Facebook page. This area has really become dangerous, especially for pedestrians. Many thugs come from behind the mountains and hide in the bushes, waiting to rob people at gunpoint. This must stop, as not everyone owns cars and those who walk are forced to prepare themselves to be robbed. This is really bad. We need urgent solutions from the local authorities. We hope that the Councillor will arrange for the open paths to the mountains and the squatter camp to be closed off, so that there is only one formal entry going to the hospital.”
Muhammed Shahbaj, also of Bengal Street, told the Laudium Sun, “Crime is too high in our area. A couple of times, my own car has even been stolen. The main problem for Bengal Street residents is the squatter camp, which is creating really serious issues in our community. Unfortunately, most of the criminals are coming from the Itireleng squatter camp side and the gates that have been put up are not helping at all. We need more police and other security patrols in the area.”
